Randal Morton: Banjo Master

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You can't sling a cat in Memphis without hitting a bass player. But banjo players? That's another matter. World-champion banjo players? There's only one: Randal Morton.

"My twin brother, Greg, and I started out in 1969," Morton says. "They called us the Morton Twins. One night, I watched the Glen Campbell Good Time Hour show back in 1969. John Harpeth was playing banjo, and I decided that's what I wanted to do.

"In 1975, I ended up winning the National Banjo Championship. We worked with Mark O'Connor. On the festival circuit, we became friends with Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Bill Monroe. Later, we went on USO tours to the Orient and Europe."

How does is get any better than that?

"Then we ended up going to Hawaii for three years, and we worked on the Don Ho show. We were probably 19 or something."

See the video of Glenn Campbell and John Harpeth as well as video of the Morton Twins at the Flyer's music blog, "Sing All Kinds."

Randal Morton plays every Monday night at the Buccaneer with Devil Train. Morton also plays in Grassfire and has a regular bluegrass jam at Newby's.

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